Single Review: The Electrifying Conceptual Chaos of ‘Vandalize Music’ by Lorenzo Senni

Lorenzo Senni | Vandalize Music | WARP

Release Date: 24 November, 2020

One of the most intriguing aspects of Italian musician and visual artist Lorenzo Senni is his understanding of the intertwining role artwork plays within the audio realm; by deconstructing, reconstructing – mixing and matching – the elements of sound that most fascinate him, the artist is able to blend the techniques of fine art into sculpting his highly unique, and deeply innovative works.

The self-described term for his music is that of pointillistic trance (the manner in which fine artists use thousands of tiny dots to form a complete picture); along with a biography that reads “Lorenzo Senni, a sadistic scientist that is ripping the spinal cord out of trance” perhaps couldn’t be more apt for an artist such as himself. 

Approaching the nature of his music is indeed comparable to that of a scientist’s work – an eccentric, diligent and hyper focused one at that, experimenting in a manner that creates something entirely different to what one has heard or seen before; a refreshing and brand new take on electronic music which is bold and daring, yet carefully, poignantly and brilliantly woven into something uniquely coherent and entrancing. Just as the dots in pointillism artworks come together to form a recognisable image, there is an exceptional patience of breaking apart each sound, forming his musical personality.

Senni’s first full length album ‘Scacco Matto’ (meaning “checkmate” in Italian) was released via WARP Records earlier this year, the eclecticism of the tracks combined with the artist’s disciplined yet hypnotic sound left us yearning for more; and luckily, in the form of his latest single (score, perhaps) ‘Vandalize Music’ we got just that – a track that first appeared in the documentation of his live streamed conceptual performance, which originally premiered the 5th of November in Turin, at OGT for CØC Festival.

It’s difficult to write a straightforward description of ‘Vandalize Music’; the frantic nature of which fits the title and concept almost perfectly. Similarly to his first full-length, the maelstrom of timbres are rich with delicately constructed harmonies, with the interactions of the tones of their companions complementing one another in a manner that one can describe as spellbinding, a vibrant orchestral electronic dance. One is able to pick up the blooming influence of nostalgia and an outstanding blend of genres in the track. 

On one hand, it’s relatively linear to liken the use of electronic timbres and luminous, driven synths to that of retro video game soundtracks, the chiptune feel of early 90’s adventure games, hypnotising audiences in a manner that one has never heard before – yet, somehow still knows well. One of the most interesting aspects of video game music itself, is that the majority of soundtracks are designed to help on focus – diving into a new, fantastical world yet with sound design that is clearly brilliantly composed and woven together in an exceptionally refreshing sound. 

‘Vandalize Music’ feels like an adventure in and of itself, the extraterrestrial electronics, fast-paced tempo and rich experimentation electrifying and powerful. The concept of taking what we are used to and completely subverting it presents itself clearly in audio form; an idea we see expertly displayed in Senni’s performance, in which the pearly white of the piano and attire are slowly, yet unabashedly covered with spray paint – especially as the track comes to a close with a wonderfully, unexpected theatrical crescendo.

Rating: 8 / 10

Feature Image: Lorenzo Senni by John Divola